The
Orcristh Ballista is a despicable, very accurate and destructible war machine crafted by the hand of the
Black
Orcs of Nybelmar, the
Orcristh. It exceeds the size and
destructive effect of the more common, lighter version of the ballista, which
shoots darts and bolts only, by far. The Orcristh
machine, resembling a somewhat gigantic crossbow, is
loaded with missiles as big as spears and is capable of piercing multiple units
with a single shot.

Description.The stand, on which the machine rests, resembles two easel stands, each about a
ped off of the ground, joined together by a thick timber also about a
ped long.
On this thick timber rest two posts, each about a 1/4 high and about 1/2 a
ped
apart. In between these two posts a thick timber, 1/2 a
ped wide and 3
peds
long, has a bolt forced through it meaning this timber can move up and down but
can't be removed from the structure. This timber also has a shaft to hold the
ammunition.

At the end of the timber there is a large,wooden rectangular box. The box is 2
and 1/2 peds wide and 1
ped high. The box is divided equally by three planks.
The middle box has the timber lodged into it,this is where the missile is
released from. The left and right boxes have pieces of wood which resemble
clubs, that are also 1 1/2 pedslong, which are tied up by two thick ropes
spiraling around each other. The club-like pieces of wood are tied at the end of
the largest timber and meet at the middle.They are also connected and spun
around a wooden circle.

The left and right boxes are also supported by two planks, one for the left
and another for the right, which are each about a
fore wide and 2
peds long. At
the end of the circle, on which the ropes are connected, there is a lever.

Usage.
The Orcristh Ballista, a major
improvementof the standard version of the ballista,
was first used by a small clan of the
Black
Orcs of Nybelmar,but soon became
widespread and a necessity among almost every orcish warlord in the highly
advancedOrcal
Kingdom. Here and there other tribes and races have tried
to construct ballistas of similar sizes and force, but have not succeeded in
achieving similar results in regard of the accuracy of
the machine in comparison to the Orcristh.

Fighting Style.
First of all the ballista needs to be brought into a fixed position, from where
it can reach the battlefield, as it cannot be moved during battle. Then
the ballista is at first drawn. This can be performed by pulling back the lever,
meaning that the spiraled ropes absorb the tension. The lever is still held and
another orc would load the ballista by placing the ammunation in the shaft. When
the lever is released the tension is also released, forcing the rope along the
shaft, pushing the ammunation through the middle box and onto the battlefield.

Another way of using the ballista is by tying lots of arrows together with thin
string.When the ballista is then fired, many arrows are released making it
effectively impossible for the target to dodge. This is very effective when
firing at groups of enemies.

One of the disadvantages of the ballista is the materials that it is made of.
Several
flaming arrows shot by skilled archers could quite easily turn the great war
machine into a ball of flames if not looked after properly.
However, the machine should be positioned carefully quite a distance away from
its targets and it should not be easily possible to reach and destroy it.

The main advantage of the Ballista of course is the sheer force of the shot
and its extreme accuracy - the shorter the distance (within a certain range) the
more accurate of course.

Origin/History.The
Orcristh Ballistawas created by a struggling and
often overlooked Orcalinventor Phraug
the Intelligent (originally Phraug the Feeble before his talent was
recognised). He had innovative ideas but they were not the most believable. His
chosen profession was never accepted by his family. His family had been warriors
for generations and felt he should have been a fierce warrior too. His father
had disowned him, he said "You're a dissapointment, you should go and live with
the vermin!" before beating him and chasing him away with his
sword.

Fascinated by the incredible powers of siege engines, the
young Phraug learned to understand the principles and mathematics behind such
machines, and never ceased to stop thinking on how to make the inital concept of
the ballista even more effective. The idea on how to
further improve a standard ballista came to him in a dream,
it is said, though not much is known about the dream
itself, it is confirmed that he
managed to proposed the idea to the Orcal, the
Orcristh Godking, himself. The Orcal approved the idea and paid Phraug
a pricely sum for its realization,
and suddenly he became a very important
person, especially after the first gigantic machine was
completed and proved to have been worth the effort. His father tried to apologise but Phraug ignored him, seeing he was
trying to get at his vast fortune.